Maps and journeys
San Jorge, Nicaragua to Esteli, Nicaragua
December 10, 2009

Rice Fields
Animal transportation
Human transportation
Police
Hotel California in Saan Jorge, Nicaragua

I was wrong in yesterday’s blog we really were in Sand Jorge and not San Blas, Nicaragua. This was a nice campsite and we really enjoyed our night there. However, being on the coast it was hot an humid and I do mean HUMID. Hard to sleep with no A/C and the humidity is 85% and the temperature the same. It is the town where they take the ferry boat over to the island which has two volcanoes on it in Lago de Nicaragua.
Today’s drive was long in hours driven and short in distance covered. This is because we were lost again many times and many times we had to stop and ask for directions (about 20-30 times today and we backtracked 5-6 times). Now you might ask how could two intelligent people be lost so often. Can’t they read a map. Well the answer is if you are traveling to Central America bring all the maps you will need for every country because you can not for the life of me buy a map of the country you are in here. I have tried large supermarkets, gas stations, tourist shops, bookstores or here they are really stationary stores and yes folks there are no maps. When we left California we got maps from AAA but they would only go down as far as El Salvador. Mexico has maps but only of Mexico. I was able to get a map of Costa Rica I do not know where from and we had a map given to us of Belize. That leaves no map for Nicaragua and Honduras.
Now signs of any nature are a bit of a problem here as the town you want to go to is not on the sign and the map you have (Budget Rental Car Map) is just about useless, and the Lonely Planet Book just about the same.
So off we go and turn around and turn around and turn around and “do you know the way to blank” (“donde esta blank”) or “is this the road to blank “ “esta la camino a blank”. Life on the road can be so much fun.
We did find a sawmill and wood fabrication plant today that can ship to Mexico or the US and that made me very happy. We even got some wood samples and e-mail and web site info. The owner was very helpful and his English was great (Family from Denmark) and he said just to e-mail him with what I wanted. So some things really turned out well for us today.
Tonight we are in Esteli on the Pan Am Hwy that will take us home eventually. We are in the same hotel parking lot (12 foot walls and a solid steel gate that we stayed at on the way down. So we are snug as a bug in a rug.
We did have 4 other stops today for the police. I must say the traffic police in Nicaragua have to be the most corrupt of any country we have been in. The first on stopped me and I was going about 20mph and wanted to write me a ticket and took my driver’s license (you know the story from last time in Nicaragua you don’t get it back till you pay him) and I then brought out my camera and wanted a picture of him. Well that really set him off and finally I got my license back and just be on your way fellow (no ticket). The next one had his radar gun out but I was going at least 20 mph under the speed limit and so they just waved me on as there was a line of ten cars behind me and so it would have meant pulling them all over. The last one wanted my license again and I got out my camera again when he was writing me up and then his Spanish went 100 mph and photos were prohibited. No hablo espanol but I have a great picture of you so it was be on your way gringo and a few other words but no bribe was paid.
For those of you planning on coming to Central America and driving here there are a few simple things to do. One, never pull over to the side of the road for the traffic police. This blocks traffic and when they tell you that you must merely say that it is to dangerous to do so the side of the road scares me in a big RV and the area is much to dangerous. Secondly, make at least two copies in color of your driver’s license and have them laminated. That way if they keep it there is no problem if you must cross the next border and need it to register your vehicle. Lastly carry a camera hand in the front seat for a picture of the offending gendarme.
Well all is well now and we are going to the hotel for dinner.